Multiple roll dispenser for flexible sheets



Feb. 9, 19% H. PREBLE, JR

MULTIPLE ROLL DISPENSER FOR FLEXIBLE SHEETS Filed Feb. 21, 1955 MULTIPLE ROLL DISPENSER FORFLEXlBLE snnnrs- Harry Prehle, Jia, Cross'River, N.Y., assignor to National Can Corporation, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Application February 21, 1955,:Serial No. 489,422

4 Claims. (Cl. 312-39) This invention relates toa multipleroll dispenser for holding a plurality of rolls of sheet material with individual openings for separate and independent feeding of the sheet material from eachof therolls.

In theembodimentof the invention shown in the drawings, means are provided for holding a roll of paper toweling, a roll of waxed paper, and a roll of aluminum foil. Sheet material from each roll is threaded through a selected one of three vertically spaced apart slots in the front wall. An edge of each slot is serrated to facilitate cutting the sheet material that has been pulled through the slot.

Two sections of the back wall of the dispenser are struck out adjacent opposite edges of the dispenser and bent inwardly at right angles to provide complementary supports for each of the rolls. The supportsfor the roll of paper toweling are fixed relative to each other because paper toweling is sold in rolls of uniform length. The length of rolls of waxed paper and aluminum foil vary within certain limits, and the supports for these rolls are designed to hold rolls of different lengths.

In order to provide compactness, the dispenser is designed so that the paper toweling occupies the full depth of the dispenser, and the waxed paper and aluminum foil, which normally are sold in thinner rolls, are arranged one in front of the other. Separate closure members are provided for the spaces for the three rolls, said closure members overlapping. The upper closure member is provided with latching means adapted to cooperate with complementary latching means on the side wall of the dispenser to hold all the closure members in closed position.

An object of the present invention is to provide a dispenser for holding three rolls of sheet material in easily accessible position whereby the material from any roll can be pulled out through an opening in the front of the housing and torn off in any desired length.

Another object is to provide a dispenser of minimum size with means for holding three rolls of sheet material separately so that the material from any one of the rolls may be dispensed without disturbing either of the other two rolls.

A further object of this invention is to provide three separate closure members with means cooperating with the side walls of a sheet metal housing to limit lateral flexing of the side walls in either direction.

. Fatented Feb. 9, 1960 22 of Fig. 1, with the closure members shown in open position in dotted lines;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross sectional view, taken along the line 33 of Fig. 2, showing the latching structure; and

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view, taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 2, showing the riveted structure at one front corner of the dispenser.-

Referring to the drawings, the dispenser comprises a back wall '2 having its lower end bent forwardly at right angles to form a short flange 3, and its sides bent forwardly at right angles to form end walls 4 and 5 extending the full depth ofthe dispenser housing. The lower end of each side wall 4 and 5 is preferably bent inwardly in the lateral direction to form a flange 6, similar to the flange 3, to help support the dispenser if it is stood on a table or bench. The back wall 2 is provided with a plurality of key hole slots 7. Each of the slots 7 is arranged with its narrow portion upward, so that the-dispenser may be suspended on a plurality of nails projecting from a wall of a kitchen.

The lower edge portions of side walls 4 and 5 are held in predetermined spaced relationship by a thin metal strip 8- extending across the front of the dispenser and having ears 9 extending rearwardly thereof at right angles to-lie against the inner surfaces of the forward edge portions of the two side walls. Each ear 9 is secured to the adjacent sidewall by riveting, welding, or any other suitable method. The. securement of strip 8 to the side Walls of the dispenser provides a substantially rectangular frame structure for the lower portion of the dispenser.

The metal of the back Wall 2 is out along lines 10 and 11 which extend symmetrically in opposite directions. Each'line 10 and 11" starts on the same level at a point spaced from the side walls 4 and 5, respectively, and extends inwardly in a substantially horizontal direction for a distance almost equal to the width of the side walls. The lines Hand 11 then extend downwardly to a plane spaced from the bottom edges of the dispenser and then in opposite substantially horizontal directions, and each line terminates at a pointin the vertical plane of its start ing point. This provides similar wings or sections 12 and 13 defined by the-lines 10 and 11.

Each section 12 and 13 is provided with an aperture 14, and the edge portions of each section contiguous to the aperture are pressed rearwardly to form a boss 15. The upper edge ofsection 12 is bent rearwardly to form cradles 16; The upper edge of section 13 is also bent rearwardly to form cradles 17 which may be duplicates of the respective cradles 16. The cradles of each section are shown as shaped to provide two concave sections 18 and 19 separated by a raised center portion 20.

Each of the sections 12 and 13 is then bent forwardly at right angles to the plane of the back wall 2 along vertical lines extending between the starting and terminal points of each of the lines 10 and 11 respectively. When sections 12 and 13 are bent forwardly the bosses 15 are in alignment to form supports for opposite ends of'a roll 21 of paper toweling, indicated in dot-dash lines in Fig. 2. Paper toweling is sold in rolls of uniform length, and the sections 12 and 13 are spaced apart a fixed distance slightly greater than the length of such rolls so that a roll of paper toweling may be freely nnrolled when it is mounted on the bosses.

The respective concave sections 18 and 19 on opposite wings 12 and 13 are also aligned with each other to form supports for opposite ends of rolls of sheet material such as waxed paper, aluminum foil, or other wrapping materials. One roll 22 is positioned with its ends resting. in opposite concave sections 18, and the other roll 23 has 3 its ends resting in the opposite concave sections 19. The rolls 22 and 23 may vary in length between limits ranging from the total distancebetween side walls 4 and 5 as the maximum and the distance between the inner tip of cradle 16 or 17 and the opposite side wall 5 or 4 as the minimum. The minimum distance isnecessary to prevent the roll from sliding over to one side Wall and then falling off the opposite cradle.

The dispenser includes three vertically spaced hinged closure members, namely a lower closure member 24, an intermediate closure member 33, and an upper closure member 40. The closure member 24 is hinged to the front edge portions of side walls 4 and 5 and comprises a flat plate 25 which extends across the front of the dispenser. The lower edge of the plate 25 has a longitudinally extending reenforcing curl 26 that merges at its lower end in a forwardly extending lip which overlaps the upper edge of thestrip 8 and provides a convenient means for lifting the closure member 24 for access to the lower compartment of the dispenser. The full length of the upper edge of the strip 8 is rolled to form a longitudinally extending curl 27 to facilitate passage of the sheet material through the dispensing opening between the outer surface of the strip 8 and the inner surface of the overlapping portion of the plate 25. The lower edge of the plate 25 is serrated to form a cutting surface 28 against which the paper toweling is torn after the desired length of toweling is pulled from the roll. The center portion of the strip 8 is cut away at its bottom to provide a notch 29 to facilitate grasping the lower edge of the paper toweling to pull it from the roll.

The upper portion of plate 25 is bent over at each edge to form flanges 30 which fit loosely adjacent the inner surfaces of the side walls 4 and 5 and limit their permissible inward flexing. The closure member 24 is hinged to side walls 4 and 5 by rivets 31. The side wall and the flange are offset inwardly adjacent each rivet for a reason which will be hereinafter set forth. The lower portion of plate 25 is bent over at each end to form flanges 32 which fit snugly against the outer surfaces of the side walls 4 and 5 and limit their permissible outward flexing.

The second closure member 33, for the portion of the dispenser in which roll -23 is housed, is hinged to side walls 4 and 5 by rivets 34 in the same manner that closure member 24 is hinged to the side walls. Two pairs of flanges 35 and 36 are provided at each of the opposite side edges of closure member 33. The flanges 35 fit loosely adjacent the inner surfaces of the side walls 4 and 5, and the flanges 36 fit snugly against the outer surfaces of the side Walls. The lower portion of the closure member 33 overlies the upper portion of the closure member 24 and has a longitudinally extending stiffening curl 37 that merges at its lower end in a forwardly extending lip that has a serrated tearing edge 38 similar to the curl 26 and the serrated edge 28, respectively, of the lowermost closure.

The free end of the sheet material on the roll 23 is threaded through the dispensing opening between the lower portion of the closure member 33 and the upper portion of the closure member 24, and passes outwardly from the dispenser immediately below the serrated edge 38. The lower portion of the closure member 33 is provided with a rectangular cut-out 39 which serves as a sight opening to enable the user to see the sheet material and also enables the user to apply finger pressure directly to the sheet material and press the sheet material downwardly to push the free end below the serrated edge after one piece has been torn off to make the lower end of the next portion accessible. The upper portion of the closure member 24 underlies the sheet material so that it serves as a backing against which the sheet material is pressed when the lower end is pushed below the serrated edge 38.

The third closure member 40 is hinged to the upper rear end of the side walls 4 and 5 by rivets 41 in the same manner as the other closure members. The closure member 40 has a pair of flanges 42 fitting snugly over the outer surfaces of the side walls 4 and 5. A centrally located rectangular cut-out 43, similar to the cut-out 39, is formed in the lower portion of the closure member 40.

When the closures 24, 33 and 40 are in their closed position the flanges 42, 36 and 32 of the respective closures form consecutive strips along the edge of the outside of the side wall 5 and confine that side wall against outward flexing. At the same time, the flange 30 of the closure 24 and the flange 35 of the closure 33 are close to the inside surface of the side member 5 along the edge thereof and restrain the side wall 5 against inward flexing. The opposite side wall 4 is likewise held against outward flexing by flanges identical to the above-mentioned flanges and located at the left hand side of the closures 24, 33 and 40, respectively.

The lower end of the closure member 40 has a longitudinally extending stiffening curl 44 that merges at its lower end in a forwardly extending lip 44 that has a serrated cutting edge 45. The free end of the sheet material on roll 22 is threaded between theinner surface of closure member 40 and the outer surface of closure member 33 and extends outwardly from the cabinet immediately below the serrated edge 45.

The three dispensing openings are one above the other. The sheet material may bevpulled from any roll without disturbing either of the other rolls. Since the lower portionof closure 33 overlies the upper portion of closure 24, and the lower portion of closure 40 overlies the upper portion of closure 33, it is obvious that neither of the closures 24 or 33 can be opened when the overlying closure is closed.

The closure member 40 is held in closed position by a spring snap latch comprising a projection 46 struck out from the side wall 5 and extending therefrom a very small amount, say, of the order of A of an inch, more or less, and a complementary projection 47 struck from the flange 42 in position to engage the projection 46 snugly when the closure member 40 is closed. The projections 46 and 47 are elongated in a vertical direction. The longitudinal axis of each lies on an arc of a circle having its centerat 41. The latch holds the closure member 40 against accidental displacement. The frictional fit of the projections 46-47 is not tight enough to prevent the closure member 40 from being opened when force is applied to lift that closure member. This may be facilitated by flexing the adjacent portion of the wall 5 inwardly. If desired, latching members similar to projections 46 and 47 and similarly located may be provided on the side wall 4 and the adjacent flange.

The portion of the side wall 5 contiguous to the rivet 31 is offset inwardly and forms a pocket for the head of the rivet 31 on the outside of the side wall 5 so that the head of the rivet 31 does not project outwardly beyond the outer surface of the major portion of the side wall 5. The upper end of the flange 30 is correspondingly oflset adjacent to the rivet. This offset arrangement permits the flanges 38 and 42 to fit closely adjacent to the other surface of the side wall 5 over the entire length of those flanges. What is stated above about the offset in the wall 5 about the rivet 31 applies also as to the rivet 34 and as to the corresponding rivets on the wall 4.

Since the upper portion of the closure member 24 is covered by the lower portion of closure member 33, and the upper portion of closure member 33 is covered by the lower portion of closure member 40, the center of the upper portions of closure members 24 and 33 do not have to-be solid as shown but may comprise only the flanges 30 and 35 with a narrow margin of each center portion adjacent each flange to give it suflicient rigidity to serve its intended purpose. If it is considered desirable to feed the sheet material from rolls 22 and 23 downwardly by finger pressure applied through openings 43 and- 39, the requisite backing for the sheet material normally provided by the upper portions of closure members 33 and 24 may be provided by central lips extending upwardly from the top of the lower half of the members 24 and 33 respec tively.

From the above description it is apparent that the end of the sheet material from any one of the three rolls 21, 22 and 23 may be pulled forwardly the desired amount and then, by lifting the free end upwardly and exerting a tearing action, the sheet may be torn along the serrated edeg 28, 38 or 45, as the case may be. In each instance the tearing action of the sheet exerts an upward force on the serrated edge and has a small tendency to move the corresponding closure toward the open position. This movement, however, is prevented by the fact that there is a positive locking action of the respective closures 24, 33 and 40, the closure 24 being kept closed by the closure 33 which in turn is kept closed by the closure 40. The closure 40 in turn is kept closed by the positive locking arrangement above described.

In compliance with the requirements of the patent statutes there has here been described a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The invention is, however, not limited to the precise construction here shown, the same being merely illustrative of the principles of the invention. What is considered new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

l. A dispenser for a plurality of rolls of sheet material comprising a back wall, a pair of side walls, complementary roll supporting members extending forwardly from said back wall and located between the side walls but spaced therefrom and aligned cradles bent from and projecting from the tops of said respective members to support rolls, said cradles being spaced from the side walls and permitting longitudinal projection of the ends of rolls thereon into the space between the members and the side walls while supporting the rolls.

2. A dispenser for a plurality of rolls of sheet material comprising a back wall, a pair of side walls, two sections of said back wall being bent to extend forwardly at right angles to said back wall and spaced from'the side walls, and aligned cradles projecting from said sections to support a roll having a length that may vary within predetermined limits and project beyond the cradles into the spaces between the respective sections and the adjacent side walls.

3. A dispenser for a plurality of rolls of sheet material comprising an open front and open top body having a back wall and a pair of side walls, and a plurality of closure members for the open front and open top of the body, said closure members being hinged to said body and located one above the other, said closure members each having at each of two opposite ends thereof a pair of flanges, one of the flanges of each pair engaging the inner surface of said side walls and said other flange of each pair of flanges engaging the outer surface of said side walls, the lower portion of the upper of said closure members overlapping the upper portion of the lower of said closure members at the front of said dispenser and forming therewith a dispensing slot for sheet material, cooperating latching means on the body of the dispenser and on the upper closure member for holding said upper closure member closed, said lower closure member being held closed by the overlapping portion of the upper closure member.

4. A dispensing cabinet for dispensing paper-like sheet material from any one of a plurality of rolls that may be placed in the cabinet and comprising a body including a sheet metal back and sides, the back having a pair of wings struck therefrom and flexed forwardly into the cabinet toward the front thereof, said wings being spaced from the sides of the cabinet, and means at the top of the two wings for supporting rolls one behind the other and with said rolls resting on the said wings and free to project beyond the wings toward an adjacent side wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 392,502 Earl Nov. 8, 1888 2,010,023 Hothersall Aug. 6, 1935 2,482,714 Mell Sept. 20, 1949 7 2,474,076 Thompson June 21, 1949 2,550,209 Tuttle Apr. 24, 1951 2,722,387 Tuttle Nov. 1, 1955 2,726,825 Ziskin et a1 Dec. 13, 1955 

